Samaritan Social Housing Project
Innovative Social House Project
This innovative social house project is helping to address Geelong’s critical shortage of affordable rental housing whilst enabling architecture students to create clever design solutions using world-leading construction methods.
In this showcase seminar, learn more about this fantastic collaboration project between Samaritan House Geelong, Deakin University and FormFlow.
- Social housing supply challenge
- Project concept and design brief
- Deakin student design competition
- FormFlow modular construction and site works
- Project partners and funding sources
- Project outcomes
- Next steps for this project and future developments
This model of transitional housing – as opposed to traditional shelters – is the only project of its kind in the region, and potentially across Australia. The independent living units, measuring 4m by 10m comprise a living space, bedroom and bathroom. Seven units have been installed by Samaritan House Geelong in Moolap as transitional accommodation for men.
Deakin students in the School of Architecture and Built Environment undertook this Prefab 21 design project as part of their coursework. Students were exposed to diverse expertise and experience in design, sustainability, construction and project management from teaching staff, FormFlow, Geelong Sustainability and Samaritan House Geelong as the client. Students worked initially as individuals and then in teams through all phases of the design process enabling them to gain valuable experiences in a real project.
The modular houses draw on sustainable design principles using strong, durable, recyclable materials, and exploit FormFlow’s world-first bending technology that can create a 90-degree bend in the metal and advanced prefabrication processes. Despite their small size, the window positions and high ceilings give the units a sense of spaciousness. Passive solar features include north-facing orientation, high eaves and a floating roof, which help to maintain a year-round comfortable temperature.
Through this collaboration, the partners have discovered how next generation design and manufacturing technology can offer clever and creative solutions to our current housing challenges.
About the panelists
Brian Sherwell
Board Member
Samaritan House Geelong
Samaritan House Geelong provides a welcoming and safe home for homeless men experiencing crisis. The Moolap site has a 4-person shared house and a 9-bed crisis accommodation centre.
The 7 new independent living units will provide residents with an important transitional stage in their rehabilitation journey. One unit has been designed with full accessibility.
The Board is proud of their partnerships on this exciting project with Deakin University, FormFlow and Gordon TAFE.
Professor James Doerfler
Chair of Architecture,
Deakin Uni
Deakin Architecture is one of the oldest architecture programs in the country, with its legacy going back to Gordon Memorial Technical College in 1888. In 1996, Architecture moved to the top floor of the Waterfront campus into the award-winning renovation of the historic woolstores.
The School of Architecture and Built Environment has created a multidisciplinary Integral Design research framework, which explores industry driven, practice based and applied research. An example is Prefab21, an industry partnership project with FormFlow that aims to research and create innovative prefabricated house projects.
Matt Dingle
Managing Director
FormFlow
FormFlow is a new Geelong business, which began as a start-up within Deakin’s Manufactures Project. Their world-first metal forming technology can produce sharp bends in corrugated steel with properties that prevent draughts and ember attack.
Now they’re expanding their prefabrication techniques and products to address housing affordability, accessibility and sustainability.
Image gallery
Zoom Event
Experts:
Brian Sherwell, Samaritan House Geelong
Matt Dingle, MD FormFlow
Prof James Doerfler, Deakin University
Facilitator:
Vicki Perrett
Guests:
Cr Belinda Maloney
Further Resources
- Samaritan House Geelong
- FormFlow
- Deakin student project
- Renew’s magazine, Sanctuary often does stories on tiny houses
Geelong Sustainability is working on a somewhat similar project ~ the Geelong Microvillage Project. Our vision is to design and pilot a community-led microvillage housing project in the Geelong region in order to validate a new housing model that facilitates more affordable housing, more liveable suburbs and more connected communities, in which the universally designed small houses have a small carbon footprint and minimal environmental impact.